Friday, January 16, 2009
"Getting Home" (2007, Director: Zhang Yang)
It is one of the best Chinese films produced in the year 2007. Like Zhang Yang's earlier film "Shower" it is also an unusual story but honest tale of ordinary people. It is also a pulse counter of modern(developed). The film reflects the humane side of Chinese society as well as the emerging callous class difference and developmental paradigm of the society. The plot follows Zhao as a construction worker whose best friend dies, leaving him to fulfil a promise that he will return his body to his distant hometown. Short on money, the determined Zhao decides to carry his friend's corpse on his back, relying on help from the people he meets on his travels…
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Some of the good Korean films of the year 2008
Forever the moment (Dir: Lim Soon-rye)
The film is about the unforgettable performance done by Korean women hand ball team during Athens Olympics. The film is really not about the hand ball game but about the women players and their hardships to perform well in the last game of their life. The final scene of the movie is unforgettable to me because I never seen such a brave decision taken by a director. The final penalty throw of the game is shot with really unexpected frame. This frame itself shows that the film is about the player not about the play.
Crossing (Dir: Kim Tae-kyun)
It is a story of a man living in North Korea crosses the border to China to get some medicine for his wife. He was then send back to South Korea and became an unwanted refugee prohibited to return to his family. Meanwhile his wife passes away and his young son sets out to find his father. It is one the best movie produced in Korea and nominated to contest in Oscar in the best foreign film category.
The Chaser (Dir: Hong-Jin Na)
Joong-ho is a pimp who was a detective once. He is in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. One night, he gets a call from a customer and sends one of his remaining girls Mi-jin. But when Mi-jin meets the customer, Jung-ho realizes the phone number of the customer matches that of the calls the missing girls got last. As something smells fishy, he searches for her. During his search, Jung-ho dents a car in the alley. When Jung-ho spots blood splattered on the driver’s shirt, he senses the man, Young-min, is the suspect. After an intense chase, Jung-ho finally catches Young-min. But because of Jung-ho’s pretence as a cop, they are both taken to the police station. At the station, he bluntly tells the policemen that he has killed the missing women, and the last girl, Mi-jin, may still be alive. As the police force is obsessed with a random search for corpses, Jung-ho is the only one who believes Mi-jin is still alive. With only 12 hours left to detain the serial killer without a warrant, Jung-ho’s hunt begins.
This film which was released this year became a surprise hit in South Korea. It was Hong-Jin Na's debt feature film and the actors are not so popular in the film industry. The budget of the film was also a mediocre one. After the slow start in the box office, the film became very popular through mouth publicity. It became one of the biggest hit of the year 2008 in South Korea. The breath taking performance of the leading artists, craftsmanship of the director and thrilling storyline are the plus point of this movie.
Dream (Dir: Kim Ki Duk)
The story revolves around a man and his dreams. One day he dreams that he caused a car accident. He goes to the place where the dream occurred, and surprisingly finds that an actual hit-and-run accident has occurred there, and that the police have traced it to a woman with a sleepwalking disorder. Later he finds that there is an unexplainable connection between the two. They discover that whenever he dreams, the woman acts out his dream in her sleep. So they came to an agreement-they will not sleep at the same time. But it is too difficult to do so. Tragedy is waiting at the corner…..Even though the film has an interesting storyline, Kim ki duk fails to convert it into a unforgettable viewing experience (like his previous films-Time and Breath). Also "Kim ki dukian twist" is missing in this film. I can almost predict the climax of the movie.Visually it is not appealing like his other films.
Tokyo (Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Joon ho-Bong)
It is a omnibus film directed by three directors with each segment shot in Tokyo.
First story of the film is directed by Gondry called “Interior Design”. It is about the surreal fable of a couple who move to Tokyo in search of a future. The second film is directed by Carax called “Merde” is about a mysterious sewer dwelling man spreading chaos in Tokyo town through irrational and provocative acts. The third story is made by Joon ho-Bong(one of my favorite Korean film director who made Memories of Murder). This story is about Teruyuki, one of Japan’s many hikimori- citizens who have withdrawn from all contact with the outside world.
Two highly hyped but disappointed movies of the year
1. The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Kim Jee-woon) (biggest money grosser of the year in Korea)
2. Once upon a time in corea (Jeong Yong-ki)
The film is about the unforgettable performance done by Korean women hand ball team during Athens Olympics. The film is really not about the hand ball game but about the women players and their hardships to perform well in the last game of their life. The final scene of the movie is unforgettable to me because I never seen such a brave decision taken by a director. The final penalty throw of the game is shot with really unexpected frame. This frame itself shows that the film is about the player not about the play.
Crossing (Dir: Kim Tae-kyun)
It is a story of a man living in North Korea crosses the border to China to get some medicine for his wife. He was then send back to South Korea and became an unwanted refugee prohibited to return to his family. Meanwhile his wife passes away and his young son sets out to find his father. It is one the best movie produced in Korea and nominated to contest in Oscar in the best foreign film category.
The Chaser (Dir: Hong-Jin Na)
Joong-ho is a pimp who was a detective once. He is in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. One night, he gets a call from a customer and sends one of his remaining girls Mi-jin. But when Mi-jin meets the customer, Jung-ho realizes the phone number of the customer matches that of the calls the missing girls got last. As something smells fishy, he searches for her. During his search, Jung-ho dents a car in the alley. When Jung-ho spots blood splattered on the driver’s shirt, he senses the man, Young-min, is the suspect. After an intense chase, Jung-ho finally catches Young-min. But because of Jung-ho’s pretence as a cop, they are both taken to the police station. At the station, he bluntly tells the policemen that he has killed the missing women, and the last girl, Mi-jin, may still be alive. As the police force is obsessed with a random search for corpses, Jung-ho is the only one who believes Mi-jin is still alive. With only 12 hours left to detain the serial killer without a warrant, Jung-ho’s hunt begins.
This film which was released this year became a surprise hit in South Korea. It was Hong-Jin Na's debt feature film and the actors are not so popular in the film industry. The budget of the film was also a mediocre one. After the slow start in the box office, the film became very popular through mouth publicity. It became one of the biggest hit of the year 2008 in South Korea. The breath taking performance of the leading artists, craftsmanship of the director and thrilling storyline are the plus point of this movie.
Dream (Dir: Kim Ki Duk)
The story revolves around a man and his dreams. One day he dreams that he caused a car accident. He goes to the place where the dream occurred, and surprisingly finds that an actual hit-and-run accident has occurred there, and that the police have traced it to a woman with a sleepwalking disorder. Later he finds that there is an unexplainable connection between the two. They discover that whenever he dreams, the woman acts out his dream in her sleep. So they came to an agreement-they will not sleep at the same time. But it is too difficult to do so. Tragedy is waiting at the corner…..Even though the film has an interesting storyline, Kim ki duk fails to convert it into a unforgettable viewing experience (like his previous films-Time and Breath). Also "Kim ki dukian twist" is missing in this film. I can almost predict the climax of the movie.Visually it is not appealing like his other films.
Tokyo (Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Joon ho-Bong)
It is a omnibus film directed by three directors with each segment shot in Tokyo.
First story of the film is directed by Gondry called “Interior Design”. It is about the surreal fable of a couple who move to Tokyo in search of a future. The second film is directed by Carax called “Merde” is about a mysterious sewer dwelling man spreading chaos in Tokyo town through irrational and provocative acts. The third story is made by Joon ho-Bong(one of my favorite Korean film director who made Memories of Murder). This story is about Teruyuki, one of Japan’s many hikimori- citizens who have withdrawn from all contact with the outside world.
Two highly hyped but disappointed movies of the year
1. The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Kim Jee-woon) (biggest money grosser of the year in Korea)
2. Once upon a time in corea (Jeong Yong-ki)
Monday, January 5, 2009
Kim ki duk's new movie "Dream"(2008)
I got a chance to watch kim ki duk's new movie Dream (Bi-mong). The new film(15th) will, as in many of KIM's previous works, distort the boundaries between reality and dream. The story revolves around a man and his dreams. One day he dreams that he caused a car accident. He goes to the place where the dream occurred, and surprisingly finds that an actual hit-and-run accident has occurred there, and that the police have traced it to a woman with a sleepwalking disorder. Later he finds that there is an unexplainable connection between the two. They discover that when ever he dreams, the woman acts out his dream in her sleep. So they came to an agreement-they will not sleep at the same time. But it is too difficult to do so. Tragedy is waiting at the corner….. Even though the film has an interesting storyline, Kim ki duk fails to convert it into a unforgettable viewing experience (like his previous films-Time and Breath). Also "Kim ki dukian twist" is missing in this film. I can almost predict the climax of the movie.Visually it is not appealing like his other films.
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